Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

From 1st April 2013, every Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) in England has had a statutory responsibility to publish and keep up to date a statement of the needs for pharmaceutical services of the population in its area, referred to as a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA).

The NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 (the 2013 Regulations) require each Health and Wellbeing Board to make a revised assessment as soon as is reasonably practicable after identifying changes to the need for pharmaceutical services which are of a significant extent.

The NHS Act 2006 (the "2006 Act"), amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, sets out the requirements for HWB to develop and update pharmaceutical needs assessments and gives the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) powers to make regulations.

Every area is required to publish a refreshed PNA document every 3 years. Merton, in line with national regulations, published its first PNA in April 2015 and the second in 2018. The third PNA is due to refresh and publish in October 2022 (delayed due to COVID 19).

Merton's Public Health team wishes to procure a suitably, qualified, and experienced provider to undertake the development of the new fit for purpose PNA which meets the latest DHSC guidance and the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013.